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I am reading Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby and Claude King and they said something on page 76 that I don't think I have heard before and wanted to share with you.
they quote 1 Corinthians 12:7 "A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person to produce what is beneficial."
The author says that the Holy Spirit does not give believers a gift. The Holy Spirit is the gift.
Quote "Our divine enabling always comes as we obey what God tells us to do-never before our obedience." The author states that if the Spirit just gave us a gift, we would tend to place our confidence in that gift instead of on Him. Rather, our focus should be on our relationship with Him. The emphasis is on our love relationship with Him and trusting Him to use us however he sees fit.
The author goes on to say that some churches use spiritual gift inventories to help people seek out what gift they have. But, really all that shows us is how God has possibly used us in our past. It doesn't take into account that gifts can change or that God may want to use us in a way other than what he has done before. Can you imagine Moses taking a spiritual gift inventory in the wilderness. I doubt he would have felt called to lead the people out of Egypt.
they quote 1 Corinthians 12:7 "A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person to produce what is beneficial."
The author says that the Holy Spirit does not give believers a gift. The Holy Spirit is the gift.
Quote "Our divine enabling always comes as we obey what God tells us to do-never before our obedience." The author states that if the Spirit just gave us a gift, we would tend to place our confidence in that gift instead of on Him. Rather, our focus should be on our relationship with Him. The emphasis is on our love relationship with Him and trusting Him to use us however he sees fit.
The author goes on to say that some churches use spiritual gift inventories to help people seek out what gift they have. But, really all that shows us is how God has possibly used us in our past. It doesn't take into account that gifts can change or that God may want to use us in a way other than what he has done before. Can you imagine Moses taking a spiritual gift inventory in the wilderness. I doubt he would have felt called to lead the people out of Egypt.